Mi Notebook 14 Horizon Edition review - A design-focused machine with drawbacks - Android

After spinning off Poco and Redmi, Xiaomi has been working hard to reinvent itself as a premium ecosystem player. From televisions to robot vacuum cleaners, the next frontier for the brand is laptops.

Xiaomi is going for a clear-cut strategy not far removed from its smartphone range. Taking all the learnings from selling phones, Xiaomi has just five laptop options with the principal difference being the amount of storage and one of two processor options.

The company is betting on a clean, simple design that should make the machines even more appealing to a younger demographic. However, the proof is in the pudding. Here’s the Android Authority Mi Notebook 14 Horizon edition review.

What’s with the Horizon edition?

Instead of a diverse portfolio of laptops, Xiaomi is initially focusing on essentially just two customizable SKUs.

The base model is the regular Mi Notebook 14. It ships with a Core i5 processor, 8GB RAM, and 256GB storage. More storage and an Nvidia MX250 graphics card are available as upgrades.

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Next up is the Horizon edition, which is the souped-up version of the Mi Notebook 14. It packs a more powerful Core i7 processor with 8GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, and an MX350 GPU. Users can opt for a 512GB SSD or pay a little more for an equivalent NVMe drive.

The biggest difference between the two, however, is the edge-to-edge display. The regular Mi Notebook 14 has fairly small bezels, but the Horizon edition drops them down to just 3.3mm — a change that really helps the machine stand out.

Design: It’s all about restraint

• Magnesium and aluminum alloy construction
• 1.35kgs, 17.15mm thickness
• 2 x USB 3.0 ports, 1 x USB 2.0, 1 x USB-C port
• HDMI 1.3b output
• Headphone jack

If I had to identify one area where the Mi Notebook 14 manages to distinguish itself from the alternatives, it has to be the design. Prima-facie, it picks up the best bits from the Macbook Air, though calling it a clone would be a disservice.

The entire chassis is made of a magnesium-aluminum alloy that goes a long way in setting the laptop apart from the plastics common in this category. Xiaomi is truly driving home the point of this being a thin and light laptop: It measures 17.15mm thick and weighs a mere 1.35kgs.

The Mi NoteBook 14 lacks visual flair; the clean aesthetic comes across as a bit generic.

I wouldn’t quite call the build top-notch. You will notice a bit of flex when you pick it up, and I’ve already spotted a few scuffs and scratches on the bottom of the machine despite treating it with kid gloves. Meanwhile, the top-lid is completely bereft of branding. While I can certainly appreciate the lack of overzealous design, it makes the machine look a bit generic.

The Mi Notebook 14 has a fairly reasonable port selection, though some omissions might be irksome. On the right side of the chassis users get two full-size USB 3.1 ports, a USB 3.1 capable Type-C port, as well as an HDMI 1.3b port. I like the fact that there’s enough gap between the ports to allow you to plug connectors in with ease. Additionally, the barrel connector for the charging port is also found here. I’d have liked it on the back of the machine for a cleaner set-up, but that’s just nitpicking.

On the left side of the chassis is a single full-size USB 2.0 port as well as a headphone jack. Unfortunately, the laptop omits an SD card reader, which is rather unfortunate. It is also worth mentioning that lower-end variants of the machine have to make do with a single USB 3.0 port, which is far from an ideal.